How To Keep Bananas From Turning Brown: 3 Easy Things You Can Do

Do you always end up throwing a bunch of overripe bananas in the trash bin? What if I tell you that you can keep the yellow color of the bananas longer? Today, I’ll show you three exciting ways how to keep bananas from turning brown whether they’re peeled or unpeeled.

I came across these methods when I had a ton of bananas in my kitchen. Since throwing brown bananas is such a waste, I thought there’s got to be some way I can keep the peel’s yellow color appearance longer. So now I’m going to share what I know so far.

What You’ll Need

For Method 1

Duct Tape

In this method of wrapping the stems, you’ll need strong duct tape to prevent the escape of ethylene gas, a compound responsible for fruit ripening. The firm holding the power of the duct tape will seal the stem effectively. Use whatever brand of duct tape you have at home. If you have no duct tape available, you can use any of these two alternatives:

Plastic Wrap

A plastic wrap can also be used to wrap the stem of bananas effectively. Make sure you get one that’s durable. If you decide to use this, take note that you have to use several layers of plastic bag to keep the ethylene gas.

Aluminum Foil

Another great alternative to duct tape is the aluminum foil. The malleability of the foil makes it easy to wrap around the stems without the need of any elastic bands. The foil seems to be a bit thicker than the plastic wrap, making it my preferred alternative.

Scissors

To cut the duct tape, plastic wrap, or aluminum foil into desired pieces, you’ll need a good pair of scissors. You can use any scissors for this task. If you’re using an old pair of scissors, check the blade for any rust.

For Method 2

Resealable Plastic Bags

For the second method on how to keep bananas from turning brown, you’ll need several pieces of resealable plastic bags to seal the whole fruit. Resealable bags protect your bananas in the refrigerator. Alternatively, you can use any plastic bags you have at home.

For Method 3

Fruit Juice

For the third method, you’ll be needing some fruit juice to keep the peeled bananas from oxidizing or turning brown. You won’t be needing much. A cup will be enough to dip 2-4 bananas.

Lemon juice is the most popular juice that you can use. Last time, I used orange juice, and I could barely notice its taste in the bananas. Other fruit juice alternatives that you can also use are lime juice, apple juice, tinned pineapple juice, or grapefruit juice.

Vitamin C Solution

If you have no fruit juices available, you can use vitamin C solution to slow down the oxidation of bananas. To make the vitamin C solution, dissolve one chewable vitamin C in half a cup of water. Use the back of a spoon to crush the tablet.

Soda Water

For a neutral-tasting alternative, you can use soda water. Don’t be confused with tonic water because this type doesn’t sit well with bananas because of its strong flavor. Use soda water as you would with fruit juices – soaking the bananas before you serve or store them.

Equipment

Bowl

A small bowl will serve as the container for your fruit juice, vitamin C solution, or soda water. Since you’ll be dealing with citric acid, it’s not recommended to use metal bowls. If possible, use glass or plastic bowls.

Pastry Brush

To paint the cut surfaces of bananas with the fruit juice, you’ll need to use a pastry brush. You can also use a bottle to spray the juice on the bananas more easily. Alternatively, use a resealable plastic bag to mix the banana slices with the juice.

Knife And Cutting Board

Okay, you’ll need a knife and a cutting board to cut the bananas into slices. Make sure that the cutting board you’ll be using is intended for vegetables and fruits because you don’t want any meat residue to contaminate your bananas.

Airtight Container Or Plate

After coating the bananas with the juice, you can transfer them to a plate if you like to use them right away for desserts. However, if you want to keep the bananas longer in the refrigerator, you can use an airtight container instead.

Steps To Follow In Keeping Bananas From Turning Brown

Method 1: Wrapping The Stems

1. Get Your Materials

2. Decide The Method Of Wrapping

Now, decide how you’ll wrap the bananas: by singles or by the bunch. Either way, your aim here is to prevent the ethylene gas from escaping. Although it won’t entirely stop the release of the ethylene gas from the stems, you can slow down the ripening process a bit.

Between the two wrapping methods, wrapping each stem individually makes the bananas keep its yellow color longer up to seven days. However, if you want a faster way of preserving the bananas, choose the traditional method of wrapping the entire crown of a bunch.

3. Wrap The Stems

To use duct tape, first, cut off about a 2-inch strip and place it on the top part of the dark stem. Press the tape down hard to eliminate all air bubbles and stick the tape around the stem. Next, cut a larger strip of tape and wrap it tightly around the stem.

If you must use a plastic wrap, roll the stem into the plastic wrap and cut it with scissors. The plastic wrap should be tight and thick. Do the same way with the aluminum foil. Remember, if you’ll be wrapping the banana individually, separate each banana from the stem before you cover.

Method 2: Sealing The Whole Fruit

1. Prepare The Items You’ll Need

In this method, get your bananas and resealable plastic bags. If you have no resealable plastic bags, find any plastic bags you can use. Unlike the first method, the second method requires you to separate the banana from the stem.

2. Seal The Bananas

Place the banana in a resealable plastic bag. You can place two bananas if the plastic bag is big enough. Before you seal the zipper, press all the air out as possible. Now store it at the bottom of your refrigerator. The bananas can stay fresh for a week longer.

Method 3: Adding Some Juice

1. Prepare Your Materials

Using a knife, peel and slice your bananas on the cutting board. By this time you have decided which fruit juice you’ll use to keep the bananas from turning brown. You can also use a vitamin C solution or soda water.

2. Coat The Bananas

In a plate, coat the bananas with the juice using a pastry brush. Another way of doing it is to place the juice in a spray bottle and squirt the juice over the banana slices. If you have a resealable plastic bag, you can put the bananas and the juice together then give it a gentle turn a few times.

3. Use Or Store

Now you can either use the bananas for salads, pies, and other dishes that call for them. You can be assured that the bananas will remain fresh throughout the meal. If you like to refrigerate the banana slices, keep them in an airtight container.

Tips To Remember!

1. Blow-dry Your Mushy Banana

If your bananas have gone brown in the refrigerator, you can restore its yellow color back by using three household items: resealable plastic bag, blow-dryer, and rice. Super Foods RX suggests placing your brown banana with rice in a plastic bag. Before you seal the plastic bag, remove all the air out as much as you can.

Let the banana sit in a plastic bag of rice for about an hour. In a warm setting, blow-dry the banana like you would dry your hair. While blow-drying, occasionally switch to cool environment, so you won’t get your banana too hot. Notice how the brown color will change to yellow like magic.

2. Freeze The Bananas

If your bananas have turned very brown or almost black, The Balance suggests freezing the bananas for later use. For whole bananas, freeze them by peeling each fruit and placing them into a heavy-duty freezer bag. You can use whole frozen bananas for cooked or baked meals.

For smoothies and baked goods, freeze the bananas in slices. First, flash-freeze the bananas to keep them from sticking to each other in the freezer bag. To flash-freeze, place the banana slices on a baking sheet and freeze for two hours. Transfer the frozen banana slices into a freezer bag.

Final Thoughts

Now you know how to keep bananas from turning brown. This will stop you from wasting any bananas in the trash bin, right? You can choose to wrap the stems or seal the whole fruit in a plastic bag. For banana slices, coat them with a fruit juice, soda water, or vitamin C solution.

For more questions or suggestions, share them with us in the comments section. Please feel free to share this article with your friends and family if you liked it!

Paula Hughes

I’m Paula, and I’m absolutely in love with food blogs. I’m a foodie at heart but being the mother of two small boys, it’s not always easy to keep up with fancy dinners… so I rely on the support of other blogging moms like me to help along the way. Contact me at Paula@authoritysitemaster.com

Click Here to Leave a Comment Below 0 comments

Leave a Reply:

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

chewtheworld.com is a participant in the amazon services llc associates program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. amazon, the amazon logo, amazonsupply, and the amazonsupply logo are trademarks of amazon.com, inc. or its affiliates. - Designed by Thrive Themes